British citizen creates national uproar in Quebec

[Neil]

What's so bad about going to a Francophone school when you're from an Anglo home?  I don't understand the problem.

It turns people into me.

That, and it completely devalues education.

[Sheilbh]

Can't understand what the teacher is saying.

So they get some support, like Bengalis do in this country.  Kids learn languages very quickly if they're immersed in it.  Most of them will do fine.

[Razgovory]

This has not always been the case here.

[Malthus]

I know it's a radical notion, but it appears to be working well everywhere outside of Quebec so far.

Choose which language their children's school is in?  Is that really that common in Anglo Canada?

From the choice of "English or French", yes it is. In fact, in Ontario you have four choices, as the Catholics get their own publicly funded schools.

[Malthus]

... as demonstratably untrue. If you are the child of immigrants, you are indeed "forced" into one school system and not the other.

If you go to a school in this country and you're an immigrant then your children will be taught in English.  If there's sufficient numbers a team of specialists in your language may be hired by the school but the language of instruction won't change.

The only exception to that are the people who choose to opt out of our public system.  For example the Lycee Charles de Gaulle, international schools and European schools.

What's so bad about going to a Francophone school when you're from an Anglo home?  I don't understand the problem.

There is no problem, if that's what the parents want.

The "problem" is making it mandatory, when the parents in point of fact wish their kids to be taught in English and English schools already exist - and they are merely prevented by law from attending them because of some social-engineering policy.

The situation would be comparable to if an entire Gallic school system existed, and everyone unable to "prove" English ethnic identity was required to be educated in Gallic instead of English, even though the parents want their kids to be educated in English and there was no lack of English schools (and some lucky parents were 'eligible' by ancestry to send their kids there).

[Zoupa]

There is no problem, if that's what the parents want.

The "problem" is making it mandatory, when the parents in point of fact wish their kids to be taught in English and English schools already exist - and they are merely prevented by law from attending them because of some social-engineering policy.

Link?

I find it hard to believe, with the information they are given before even applying to immigrate to qc, that they would wish for their kids to go to school in English. That's what beautiful, multicultural Toronto is for.

[Malthus]

There is no problem, if that's what the parents want.

The "problem" is making it mandatory, when the parents in point of fact wish their kids to be taught in English and English schools already exist - and they are merely prevented by law from attending them because of some social-engineering policy.

Link?

I provided the link to the actual law upthread.

Edit: are you claiming no immigrants actually wants their kids taught English? If so, why does the law exist?

[Zoupa]

There is no problem, if that's what the parents want.

The "problem" is making it mandatory, when the parents in point of fact wish their kids to be taught in English and English schools already exist - and they are merely prevented by law from attending them because of some social-engineering policy.

Link?

I provided the link to the actual law upthread.

Really? You have links to surveys of recently arrived immigrants where they majoritarly declare they wish their kids could go to public english schools?

[Zoupa]

There is no problem, if that's what the parents want.

The "problem" is making it mandatory, when the parents in point of fact wish their kids to be taught in English and English schools already exist - and they are merely prevented by law from attending them because of some social-engineering policy.

Link?

I provided the link to the actual law upthread.

Edit: are you claiming no immigrants actually wants their kids taught English? If so, why does the law exist?

Taught english or taught in english?

[Neil]

Link?

Why would anyone not want to be educated in English?

[Zoupa]

Link?

Why would anyone not want to be educated in English?

Pretty much what Malthus is thinking.

[Sheilbh]

The "problem" is making it mandatory, when the parents in point of fact wish their kids to be taught in English and English schools already exist - and they are merely prevented by law from attending them because of some social-engineering policy.

The situation would be comparable to if an entire Gallic school system existed, and everyone unable to "prove" English ethnic identity was required to be educated in Gallic instead of English, even though the parents want their kids to be educated in English and there was no lack of English schools (and some lucky parents were 'eligible' by ancestry to send their kids there).

I don't think the problem is with making things mandatory I think it's with providing special provision for any linguistic group.  I'd argue that all schools in Quebec probably should teach French with English as the standard second language - ideally with something else taught in English (like history or geography) as that helps language learning a lot.  There should be special teachers to help recent immigrants.  But that's it.  And I think Anglo-Canada should be vice versa.

To me I think it would be absolutely ridiculous if English parents in Wales objected to Welsh-language instruction and demanded their own schools. 

[DontSayBanana]

Really? You have links to surveys of recently arrived immigrants where they majoritarly declare they wish their kids could go to public english schools?

And where's your non-anecdotal data about the percentage satisfied with the status quo?

The point is that once again, the province is out of line with its parent country, which should in fact be providing support for the English-speaking majority.

[Zoupa]

The point is that once again, the province is out of line with its parent country, which should in fact be providing support for the English-speaking majority.

It's that kind of thinking that has been fueling the independance drive.

Maitre chez nous!

[Malthus]

Link?

Why would anyone not want to be educated in English?

Pretty much what Malthus is thinking.

Who posted this?

And btw your thing about "it should be a matter of bottom-up choice, not top-down fiat" is real easy to say when you perfectly well know that close to 100% of folks would choose anglophone schooling in your province/country, qc excluded.